FBI Arrests Man Who Allegedly Plotted to Attack the US Capitol

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — A man who allegedly wanted to carry out a suicide bombing near the U.S. Capitol was arrested Friday in an FBI sting operation.

Sources tell ABC News the man wanted to target the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center, and had reached out obtain a suicide vest. FBI undercover agents apparently provided him with an inert suicide vest, and arrested him as he was on his way to his target Friday morning.

The suspect, said to be man of Moroccan descent, has not yet been identified.

The FBI had been monitoring the man for about a year and in recent weeks finalized the sting. The public was never in danger, law enforcement officials told ABC News.

In statement Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said, ‘“We can confirm that there has been an arrest of a suspect in Washington, D.C. in connection with a terrorism investigation. The arrest was the culmination of an undercover operation during which the suspect was closely monitored by law enforcement.

“Explosives the suspect allegedly sought to use in connection with the plot had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public.